Gerasa: Temple of Artemis: Overall view, looking southwest

On the north side of the city is the massive propylaeum of the Temple of Artemis (completed AD 150). The monumental scale and plan of the temple complex are typical of oriental sanctuaries of its period. The octastyle Corinthian temple was approached through a system of steps and courtyards that started across the cardo on the east bank of the river. The propylaeum, giving on to the main street, was fronted by a porch of four huge Corinthian columns supporting a pediment with an arch over the central span. The actual entrance consisted of a vast doorway, with two smaller openings surmounted by elaborately decorated niches framed by Corinthian columns carrying spurs of entablature. Artemis was the major Classical deity of Gerasa and appears on coins of the city.